Introduction
Man of God: Walking by Faith
The tortoise always wins. Reread the story a thousand times, and in the end, the same thing always
happens: the slow-stepping tortoise is victorious.
This timeless story begins with the tortoise and the hare setting out to race one another. The fleet-footed
hare mocks the tortoise for being so slow. When the race begins, he sprints out far ahead and then sits
down to take a nap. The tortoise, meanwhile, trudges along, one slow, steady step at a time. This pattern
continues—the hare sprinting and sleeping, the tortoise slowly stepping along—until at last the hare
wakes up from a nap just in time to see the tortoise in the distance, crossing the finish line. No matter
how many times you reread it, the tortoise always wins.
Getting to the Heart
Which of the two characters better illustrates your daily schedule, your customary lifestyle? Are you like
the fleet-footed hare, sprinting headlong through your daily to-do list? Or are you more like the steadystepping tortoise, methodically moving through your schedule at a sustainable pace?
More often than not, our daily lives resemble the pace of the hare: a shrill screech from the alarm clock
wakes us up and the daily sprint begins. Get dressed and ready before anyone else is awake. Grab some
breakfast to eat in the car. Back out of the driveway, quickly praying God’s blessings on the day, while
peeling a banana and scanning the road for oncoming traffic—all at the same time. Sprint through work,
work through lunch, and then race home for a multitude of evening activities. When the day is finally
done, speed-read your way through a few pages of a book, turn out the light, utter a quick prayer, and
then zip off to sleep, sprint-counting sheep as you go.
While our daily schedules may often resemble that of the hare, our Lord intends our walk with him to
look much more like the race run by the tortoise. Walking with God by faith is not a sprint. It’s more like
a marathon. God’s Word encourages us to journey with him day by day, year in and year out, slowly and
methodically becoming more like Jesus. Hear this word of encouragement: “They that wait upon the LORD
shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
“They shall walk, and not faint,” the Bible says. We walk by faith! Waiting for the Lord often turns out to be
a slow process. We wait for our prayers to be answered; we wait for God’s gifts of healing; we wait for our
loved ones to come to faith. We keep on waiting for the Lord as we walk on by faith, especially when our
path takes us through life’s dark valleys.
This slow and daily walk with God can fortify us for the fast pace of daily life. As we wait for the Lord,
he renews our strength. He makes it possible for us to run the race as husband, father, brother, and son
without growing weary. We are able to keep up the pace demanded by difficult days—without fainting.
Whether your daily schedule demands a sprint or invites merely a stroll, your Lord promises to provide
strength for your journey. Whether your daily schedule is go, go, go or slow, slow, slow from start to finish,
God will renew your strength. Tortoise or hare, he will give you the endurance you need to sustain you on
your way.
This is not your strength; this is God’s strength. This is not your endurance; it is God’s endurance. In Christ
Jesus, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God has given you new life. Run with it! Share the truths
you’ve learned. Draw upon the power it provides. Live out the love you have received.
Keep on counting on your Lord to provide strength and endurance. Use that strength as you encourage
the members of your family in the faith. Rely on Jesus to supply all your needs as you cheer on those
who run and walk beside you. And in it all, wait for the Lord. He will continually strengthen you, just as he
has promised.
Remember, you do not walk alone. Your Savior himself walks beside you! You walk in his strength, the
strength that comes along with the new life God has given you in Christ Jesus.
Your daily schedule may take you racing through each day at a hare’s pace. But let your walk with the Lord
assume a more deliberate tempo, the pace of the tortoise. Set aside time in your busy schedule for prayer.
Be still, and let the Holy Spirit transform you as the new life you have received in Christ works its way into
every corner of your being.
Yes, the world around you will continue to pull on you, tempting you to sprint through every activity,
every opportunity, and every task. But your Lord is consistently at work, too. He is constantly inviting you
to wait on him, to let him set your pace. Listen to him. Respond to him. And remember . . . the tortoise
always wins.
Taking It Home
If you are speaking on Father’s Day, use this ending:
As you leave today, you will receive (name the item you are distributing to all the men present). We are so
thankful for you and for your godly service here at church, in our community, and in your families. As you
celebrate with your family today, let this (name the item) remind you to remember the godly men who
have been an example to you, those whose lives show you how to wait for the Lord. Let it remind you of
God’s promise to strengthen you any time you grow weary.
If you are speaking at a men’s retreat, men’s ministry meeting, or on some other occasion, use this ending:
I am so thankful for each of you and for your godly service at church, in our community, and in your
families. As you leave today, take along (name the item you are distributing). Let it remind you of the godly
men who have been an example to you, those whose lives have shown you how to wait for the Lord. Let it
remind you of God’s promise to strengthen you any time you grow weary.
© 2015 CTA, Inc. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic
means is granted only to the original purchaser and is intended for use within a church or other Christian
organization, but not for resale.
The Scripture quotation is from the King James Version of the Bible.
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